Rival has words of praise for Tottenham boss Sherwood

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has had words of encouragement for his former teammate and Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood ahead of his teams visit to White Hart Lane tonight, reports the Evening Standard.

Sherwood has come under pressure of late after a poor run of results that have seen Tottenham all but miss out on a place in the top four. Sherwood has also been publicly critical of his players, and was criticised last weekend for watching the 4-0 defeat at Liverpool from the stands for the entire 90 minutes.

But Poyet offered words of praise for the Tottenham boss, insisting he has all the attributes to be a top coach.

When asked what kind of a character Sherwood is, the Uruguayan replied: “Top-class, I like him a lot. I like him with me, I don’t like him against.

“He knows football, he cares about football. He knows the club well, he knows the players because he has been there for a while, he knows what the fans want.

“He has got a strong character, a presence. I don’t know him as a manager day-to-day or tactically, but from outside he has all the attributes to be a very good manager.”